The encryption methods used to secure today’s internet communications won’t be impenetrable forever. More powerful “quantum computers” on the horizon could very well crack them.That’s why Google is testing out new cryptography that computers in the future might not be able to break. The processing power offered by "hypothetical, future" quantum computers could be enough to “decrypt any internet communication that was recorded today,” wrote Matt Braithwaite, a Google software engineer in a company blog post on Thursday.This could affect the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol used when visiting websites. Old information, originally meant to be secured for decades, could suddenly become exposed, he added.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A Romanian hacker's claim that he broke into Hillary Clinton's private email server in 2013 was a lie, according to the FBI. Marcel Lehel Lazar, also known as Guccifer, has boasted about the breach to various media outlets, saying in May that it had been "easy."But on Thursday, FBI director James Comey said that Lazar, who is now in U.S. custody, has admitted the claim was false."He admitted that was a lie," Comey said during a congressional hearing on Clinton's use of her own private email server.Lazar, originally from Romania, was extradited to the U.S. and is awaiting sentencing for breaking into the email and social media accounts of various U.S. officials as well as a member of the Bush family.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A Romanian hacker's claim that he broke into Hillary Clinton's private email server in 2013 was a lie, according to the FBI. Marcel Lehel Lazar, also known as Guccifer, has boasted about the breach to various media outlets, saying in May that it had been "easy."But on Thursday, FBI director James Comey said that Lazar, who is now in U.S. custody, has admitted the claim was false."He admitted that was a lie," Comey said during a congressional hearing on Clinton's use of her own private email server.Lazar, originally from Romania, was extradited to the U.S. and is awaiting sentencing for breaking into the email and social media accounts of various U.S. officials as well as a member of the Bush family.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A data breach that hit Wendy's fast food restaurants was more than three times bigger than originally disclosed and exposed customer credit card data.The company said Thursday that malware installed in point-of-sale systems was discovered at over 1,000 of its franchised U.S. restaurants -- a big jump from the "fewer than 300 stores" it said in May had been affected.Hackers gained access to the machines using remote access credentials of a third-party service provider, Wendy’s said.The breach began in fall 2015 and wasn't discovered until early this year. As part of its investigation, the company discovered a second malware variant had infected its systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A data breach that hit Wendy's fast food restaurants was more than three times bigger than originally disclosed and exposed customer credit card data.The company said Thursday that malware installed in point-of-sale systems was discovered at over 1,000 of its franchised U.S. restaurants -- a big jump from the "fewer than 300 stores" it said in May had been affected.Hackers gained access to the machines using remote access credentials of a third-party service provider, Wendy’s said.The breach began in fall 2015 and wasn't discovered until early this year. As part of its investigation, the company discovered a second malware variant had infected its systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Kitten videos are harmless, right? Except when they take over your phone.
Researchers have found something new to worry about on the internet. It turns out that a muffled voice hidden in an innocuous YouTube video could issue commands to a nearby smartphone without you even knowing it.
The researchers describe the threat in a research paper to be presented next month at the USENIX Security Symposium in Austin, Texas. They also demonstrate it in this video.
Voice recognition has taken off quickly on phones, thanks to services like Google Now and Apple's Siri, but voice software can also make it easier to hack devices, warned Micah Sherr, a Georgetown University professor and one of the paper’s authors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Kitten videos are harmless, right? Except when they take over your phone.
Researchers have found something new to worry about on the internet. It turns out that a muffled voice hidden in an innocuous YouTube video could issue commands to a nearby smartphone without you even knowing it.
The researchers describe the threat in a research paper to be presented next month at the USENIX Security Symposium in Austin, Texas. They also demonstrate it in this video.
Voice recognition has taken off quickly on phones, thanks to services like Google Now and Apple's Siri, but voice software can also make it easier to hack devices, warned Micah Sherr, a Georgetown University professor and one of the paper’s authors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Ashley Madison encouraged its users to cheat on their partners. But did it also cheat its own customers?
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating the service, which suffered a devastating hack last year that exposed details of millions of customers who signed up in the hope of engaging in extramarital affairs.
Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, told the New York Times Tuesday it doesn't know the focus of the inquiry. But the company said it's been sharing information with the the FTC since last August when the breach took place.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Ashley Madison encouraged its users to cheat on their partners. But did it also cheat its own customers?
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating the service, which suffered a devastating hack last year that exposed details of millions of customers who signed up in the hope of engaging in extramarital affairs.
Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, told the New York Times Tuesday it doesn't know the focus of the inquiry. But the company said it's been sharing information with the the FTC since last August when the breach took place.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Malware that secretly installs porn apps on your phone is infecting devices by the millions, becoming the world’s largest mobile Trojan.The malware, called "Hummer," is a family of Trojans that imitate Android apps before striking, according to Cheetah Mobile, a maker of security and utility apps.The company’s researchers have been tracking Hummer since 2014. It's been infecting more than 1 million devices per day, far outpacing other kinds of mobile Trojans, the company said in a post on Wednesday.India, Indonesia, Turkey, China and Mexico are the top five countries where the Trojan has been spreading the most, but it's also hit victims in the U.S. and Europe.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Malware that secretly installs porn apps on your phone is infecting devices by the millions, becoming the world’s largest mobile Trojan.The malware, called "Hummer," is a family of Trojans that imitate Android apps before striking, according to Cheetah Mobile, a maker of security and utility apps.The company’s researchers have been tracking Hummer since 2014. It's been infecting more than 1 million devices per day, far outpacing other kinds of mobile Trojans, the company said in a post on Wednesday.India, Indonesia, Turkey, China and Mexico are the top five countries where the Trojan has been spreading the most, but it's also hit victims in the U.S. and Europe.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The hacker who claims to have breached the Democratic National Committee’s networks is trying to beat back accusations that he’s linked with the Russian government.The intrusion, which stole confidential files from the DNC, was his “personal project,” hacker Guccifer 2.0 said in a Thursday blog post.Security firms and the DNC may be trying to blame the attack on Russia, but “they can prove nothing!” Guccifer 2.0 added.“All I hear is blah-blah-blah, unfounded theories, and somebody’s estimates,” he wrote.Guccifer 2.0 appeared on the web just a day after the DNC revealed it had been hacked. To prove he was behind the breach, the hacker began posting the files he stole. This included opposition research on presidential candidate Donald Trump, along with donor lists and foreign policy files. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The hacker who claims to have breached the Democratic National Committee’s networks is trying to beat back accusations that he’s linked with the Russian government.The intrusion, which stole confidential files from the DNC, was his “personal project,” hacker Guccifer 2.0 said in a Thursday blog post.Security firms and the DNC may be trying to blame the attack on Russia, but “they can prove nothing!” Guccifer 2.0 added.“All I hear is blah-blah-blah, unfounded theories, and somebody’s estimates,” he wrote.Guccifer 2.0 appeared on the web just a day after the DNC revealed it had been hacked. To prove he was behind the breach, the hacker began posting the files he stole. This included opposition research on presidential candidate Donald Trump, along with donor lists and foreign policy files. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A database described by some as a "terrorism blacklist" has fallen into the hands of a white-hat hacker who may decide to make it accessible to the public online.The database, called World-Check, belongs to Thomson Reuters and is used by banks, governments and intelligence agencies to screen people for criminal ties and links to terrorism.Security researcher Chris Vickery claims to have obtained a 2014 copy of the database. He announced the details on Tuesday in a post on Reddit."No hacking was involved in my acquisition of this data," he wrote. "I would call it more of a leak than anything, although not directly from Thomson Reuters."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A database described by some as a "terrorism blacklist" has fallen into the hands of a white-hat hacker who may decide to make it accessible to the public online.The database, called World-Check, belongs to Thomson Reuters and is used by banks, governments and intelligence agencies to screen people for criminal ties and links to terrorism.Security researcher Chris Vickery claims to have obtained a 2014 copy of the database. He announced the details on Tuesday in a post on Reddit."No hacking was involved in my acquisition of this data," he wrote. "I would call it more of a leak than anything, although not directly from Thomson Reuters."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The number of users infected with mobile ransomware is skyrocketing, as hackers try to expand the number of potential victims they can target.Compared with a year ago, almost four times as many users are being attacked by mobile ransomware, security firm Kaspersky Lab said on Wednesday.It's a troubling trend. Ransomware has typically targeted PCs by encrypting all the information that is inside the targeted machines, and then holding the data hostage in exchange for money.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The number of users infected with mobile ransomware is skyrocketing, as hackers try to expand the number of potential victims they can target.Compared with a year ago, almost four times as many users are being attacked by mobile ransomware, security firm Kaspersky Lab said on Wednesday.It's a troubling trend. Ransomware has typically targeted PCs by encrypting all the information that is inside the targeted machines, and then holding the data hostage in exchange for money.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hackers are stealing credit card information in Europe with malware that can spoof the user interfaces of Uber, WhatsApp and Google Play.The malware, which has struck Android users in Denmark, Italy and Germany, has been spreading through a phishing campaign over SMS (short message service), security vendor FireEye said on Tuesday.Once downloaded, the malware will create fake user interfaces on the phone as an “overlay” on top of real apps. These interfaces ask for credit card information and then send the entered data to the hacker.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hackers are stealing credit card information in Europe with malware that can spoof the user interfaces of Uber, WhatsApp and Google Play.The malware, which has struck Android users in Denmark, Italy and Germany, has been spreading through a phishing campaign over SMS (short message service), security vendor FireEye said on Tuesday.Once downloaded, the malware will create fake user interfaces on the phone as an “overlay” on top of real apps. These interfaces ask for credit card information and then send the entered data to the hacker.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Before you throw away that old hard drive, make sure you purge the memory clean. A new study has found that most users are accidentally giving up photos, social security numbers and financial data, by failing to properly delete the files on their recycled hard drives.
Blancco Technology Group, which specializes in data erasure, conducted the study by randomly buying 200 secondhand PC storage drives from eBay and Craigslist. Their goal was to see if the company could recover any of the old data saved inside.
In most cases, it could. 78 percent of the drives contained residual data that could be recovered.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Michael Kan